As wireless networks evolve, the demand for high-quality service to a growing number of wireless devices or users increases. Power boosting is transmission mode that has been developed to increase the strength of the reference signal output from the access node. While power boosting increases the reference signal received by wireless devices within a cell or sector of an access node, it also may cause interference to other wireless devices within the cell or sector of the cell, or wireless devices served by other cells. The interference may cause an increase in retransmission rates and a decrease in power headroom of wireless devices, which in turn limits coverage area and reduces reliability. For example, the increased reference signal power may prevent a wireless device from receiving a data signal. In response, the wireless device may request a retransmission of the data and send the request at a higher transmit power, causing further noise or interference within the cell. The increased transmit power may reduce the power headroom of the wireless device.
Additionally, the interference may disrupt handovers, or transfers, of wireless devices from one cell to the next cell. For example, when an access node is power boosting and a wireless device is at or beyond the cell edge or broadcast range of the access node, the wireless device may not be properly handed over to the next, or adjacent, cell due to the power boosting. Therefore, the network may confuse the wireless device as being closer to an access node that is physically further way from the wireless device than another access node. Thus, the interference may extend into and disrupt an adjacent cell. Accordingly, excess use of power boosting may interfere with other wireless devices served by other cells reducing coverage and reliability.
Overview
Embodiments described herein include methods and systems for controlling a reference signal power boosting settings based on power headroom of one or more wireless devices and retransmission rates within a wireless network. An embodiment of the following description includes a method of controlling reference signal power boosting at an access node. The method includes monitoring, at an access node, a received surplus transmit power and retransmission requests of a wireless device over a period of time. The method further includes determining an average received surplus transmit power and an average retransmission request of the wireless device, and modifying a power of a reference signal based on the average received surplus transmit power meeting a first criteria and the average retransmission request rate meeting a second criteria.
Another embodiment described herein includes a method of controlling a node. The method includes monitoring received surplus transmit powers and retransmission requests of a plurality of wireless devices within a sector, and determining an average received surplus transmit power and an average retransmission request rate of the plurality of wireless devices within the sector. In response to the average received surplus transmit power meeting a first criteria and the average retransmission request rate meeting a second criteria, decreasing a transmit power of a reference signal.
In an embodiment, the following description includes an access node. The access node includes a processor configured to power boost a reference signal, determine an average received power headroom and average received retransmission request rate of wireless devices within a sector, and control the power boost of the reference signal within a sector based on the average received power headroom and average received retransmission requests.